The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Thuja plicata and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘De Rakt’. ‘De Rakt’ represents a new western red cedar, an evergreen tree grown for landscape use.
The inventor discovered this new Thuja (un-patented) as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Thuja plicata ‘Gelderland’ (not patented) in May of 1989 in his garden in Uden, The Netherlands by the inventor.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by hardwood cuttings in Uden, the Netherlands in summer of 1999 by the inventor. Further generations of cuttings were taken in following years and trials have determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.